How many of you fellow nerds fondly remember beasting out Ice World in Mario 3? Do you remember the simple fun of scoring mad coins and amassing more free lives than you will ever need? Perhaps you savored the difficulty of some of the boss levels in Mario games? Well, whatever it was you enjoyed in the older installments, you will probably find it here, in the new Super Mario Bros. Wii! This new game, recently released for the Wii, beautifully captures the classic feel of Super Mario 3 and Super Mario World and yet brings some new additions to the table. The striking graphics and unique gameplay mechanics do justice to this time honored rite of passage for all of game-kind. What is so fun about this game you ask? Well, let’s talk about it!
The first thing you will notice will be the graphics I’m sure. The bright colors make the realm of Mario all the more appealing. Seeing all of the old worlds touched up with sexy new graphics is both nostalgic and astounding. Fear not, there are all the old fun levels you just loved to die at! Ice worlds, water worlds, sand worlds, and the ever perilous boss levels that, of course, contain mad amounts of skeletal turtles, and an over abundance of lava and fireballs. The addition of up to four player co-op or free-for-all. There are a few new additions to the classic power-up roster as well. New to the series are the Penguin Suit, Mini-mushroom, Blue Flower power, and the propeller suit. The Blue Flower acts like an icy counterpart to the classic fire flower, only you turn a friendly shade of blue and throw snowballs! Yaaaaaay! The penguin suit acts like the blue flower, allowing you to freeze any that oppose you, and it also allows you to slide really fast, walk comfortably on ice, and swim like a Phelps! The Mini-shroom shrinks you real tiny so as that you may access previously unreachable spots. The propeller suit is probably the most unique addition to the power-ups in the fact that it takes advantage of the motion sensing capabilities of the Wii. The propeller suit adorns your head with a propeller that, when you shake the Wii-mote, twirls Mario into the air, thus allowing access to all those glorious coins and mysterious secret tubes.
Super Mario Bros. Wii is a real treat for the gaming OG, and for the kids still cutting their video game teeth. The four player co-op function works just as well with a mixed drink and some buddies, as it does with parents and little siblings. The graphics and game play coupled with the time honored tradition of rescuing Princess Peach prove this game to be a good buy for any savvy Wii holder. So go out, grab your copy, and get mad at silly little creatures just like you used to!
Joseph Bryant - SwiftGlassEater
